It has been over 40 years since Pete Dye unveiled what is
perhaps his most celebrated (and certainly most daunting)
creation, the ‘Teeth of the Dog’ at Casa de Campo in the
Dominican Republic. Today, there are no less than 81 holes
credited to one of the world’s most inventive architects –
and James A. Frank survived them to bring you this story

There are two kinds of golfers in this
world: Let’s call them “Dye-fors” and
“Dye-hards.”

The former think nearly everything
Pete Dye builds is amazing, a mix of
beauty and challenge, a combination of
imagination and fearlessness not exhibited
by any other modern architect.

The latter consider Dye the “Marquis
de Sod,” constructing courses that are
hard, harder, hardest. They believe he
likes to make high-handicappers scream
and good players cry, and that in his
spare time he pulls the wings off flies
and kicks puppies.

Put me in both camps. The more I see
of Pete’s work, the more I respect and
appreciate what he’s been doing for
more than 50 years. By building courses
that force players to think and execute
on every shot, he is the true descendant
of the great architects of the Golden
Age – the natural-born son of the likes
of MacKenzie, Tillinghast and Ross.

Arguably the most inventive architect
working today, at age 87 Dye continues
to amaze and continues to build (and
that’s his word, rather than “design,”
because he still believes in getting on the
bulldozer himself and pushing courses
out of the ground). And if you’re looking
for the quintessential canvas from Pete’s
portfolio, somewhere to play his finest
work while enjoying other forms of play,
as well, the place to go is Casa de
Campo, in the Dominican Republic.

Casa de Campo boasts 81 holes of
Dye-designed golf, spanning the extent
of both his career and his architectural
philosophies. It is, to hand Voltaire a hybrid, the best of all possible golf
worlds. With ideal Caribbean weather.
But this 7,000-acre property along the
Dominican Republic’s southern coast,
90 minutes from the capital city of
Santo Domingo, was not always a piece
of paradise. Just the opposite. For many
years, the thousands of acres near the
town of La Romana were planted with
sugarcane, and by the 1960s the local
mill – owned by the conglomerate Gulf
and Western – was the largest producer
of sugar in the world. G&W decided to
reinvest some of the profits locally, not
only improving economic conditions but
launching a tourism industry with a
world-class golf resort at its heart.

Dye was asked to help find the perfect
location, which turned out to be an
expanse near the mill that was too dry
for cane and too sparse for cattle grazing.
Many of the world’s great courses on land near water but otherwise
unusable; under Dye’s leadership, another
one took form.

More than barren, the land was
badass: covered with thick underbrush,
boulders, and cactus, it could only be
worked by hand. For more than a year,
some 300 locals wielding hammers and
pickaxes turned nothing into nirvana.

Soil had to be carted from a mile inland,
oxen pulled carts back and forth, and
slowly the golf course took shape. It
originally was referred to as “Cajuiles”
for the cashew trees that grew in the
surrounding mountains. But Dye overheard
the workers referring to the sharp
coral rock underfoot and along the sea
as “diente del perro,” or “Teeth of the
Dog,” and the course – which opened in
late 1971 – had a new name.

Like any kind of canine – dental or
dogged – the course can change from
painless to biting in a heartbeat. The
fairways are wide, letting golfers think
they have lots of room: which they do
unless they want to approach the small,
sloped greens from smart spots and at
the proper angles, a Dye trademark.
There are trees galore, some defining
lines of play; same with sand.

But what inevitably stops players cold
is the ocean, with seven holes lapped by
the Caribbean Sea and demanding precise
judgment regarding wind, distance,
and adrenaline. The two seaside parthrees,
numbers 5 and 16 (pictured on
the opening spread), are stunners, as is
17, a par-four “Cape” hole that dares the
bold to challenge the waves and wind.
(Note the cleverness of the routing, the
ocean holes split three and four between
the front and back sides.)

A few years ago, Dye returned to the
Dog and brushed its coat while sharpening
its teeth – adding length, changing
some angles, and improving on greatness.
As spectacular as Pebble Beach but closer
to the water and more fun, this dog is a
purebred, one of the world’s finest.
At the other end of the property – it
takes the shuttle a good 15 minutes to
get there – and as much a part of the
sky as the Dog is of the water, sit the
three nines collectively known as Dye
Fore. Rolling over the sinuously curving
cliff tops, Chavon, La Marina, and Lagos
(or Lakes, which just opened a few
months ago) seem to spread for miles,
which isn’t entirely an illusion but is
exaggerated by the 300-foot-high altitude and the 360-degree views.

While the land heaves and falls, producing
tough tilting lies and invisible
targets, all three courses remain true to
Dye’s principle of messing with the
golfer’s mind. And as if dealing with
brisk breezes and natural landscape
weren’t enough, Pete added clusters of
pot bunkers, raised and rollicking green
sites, and, on Lagos, five bodies of water,
20 acres’ worth. According to Pete, it
took five years to build Lagos, partly
because – just as with Teeth of the Dog
40 years earlier – soil had to be brought
in from the cane fields. But also, Dye
confided, “When you have so much time
to build it, you keep looking at it.”
He’s right about that: It is something
to see.

Back near sea level and abutting the
Dog on the inland side is The Links,
which isn’t links-like at all but can provide a good warm-up before tackling one
of its much bigger brothers. Its water
holes, five of them, are all on lakes; the
fairways are generous but tightened by
well-sited bunkers. Dye recently treated
The Links to a makeover, too, most
notably switching the small greens to
salt-water-resistant Paspalum grass.

The last 18 holes at Casa de Campo
are private, but rounds at La Romana
Country Club can be arranged. The
course begins on low land near the Links
and the Dog, then climbs almost up to
Dye Fore. In someone’s office sits a master
plan for taking nine holes from the
country club and marrying them with
one of the Dye Fore nines, creating two
“new” 18s that would combine broad
views with extreme topographic variety.

Maybe some day…

With all Casa de Campo boasts from
tees to greens, it’s easy to forget that it’s
a full-service resort with more services
than most. A recent multi-million-dollar
renovation to the accommodations and
public spaces has expanded the low-key
elegance into almost every corner. Just
off the main lobby is La Cana, a steakand-
seafood restaurant and one of eight
dining options across the property. The
other high-end eatery is the Beach Club
by Le Cirque: Located at the resort’s
secluded private beach, Minitas, it is
managed by New York City’s Le Cirque
restaurant and one of its chefs.

There are other sandy options including
Playita Beach, which must be
reserved in advance and is open to only
one couple or family per day. Of course,
there are the requisite water-sports,
from fishing and snorkeling to kayaking
in the sea or on the Chavon River.

Polo has been played at Casa de
Campo since the resort’s earliest days,
and today it has three playing fields and
the world’s largest string of ponies under
a single brand. Run by world-ranked
player Cali Garcia – whose father was
involved with the resort from its earliest
days – the polo centre is set up for those
who want to watch or learn the game.

High on the hills near Dye Fore is a
245-acre shooting centre with more than
300 stations for trap, skeet and sporting
clays, and other simulated hunting. Plus
there’s a spa, marina and yacht club,
equestrian trails and lessons, and a 13-
court tennis centre.

Other attractions help make Casa de
Campo unique. Next to Dye Fore overlooking
the river and mountains is Altos
de Chavon, a full-scale replica of a 16th century
Mediterranean village. Along its
cobblestoned streets are artists’ studios
and galleries, workshops, boutiques,
restaurants, and bars. There’s also the
local church – an idyllic setting for a
wedding – and a Grecian-style amphitheater
that since opening in 1982 has hosted
everyone from Frank Sinatra and
Andrea Boccelli to Sting and Santana.

Ten minutes from the resort’s main
gate is Tabacalera de Garcia, the largest
cigar factory in the world. Employing
4,700 people and producing more than
60 different brands – Don Diego, H.
Upmann, Romeo and Juliet, and
Montechristo among them – the plant is
open for tours. The entire process is on
display, from the drying of tobacco
leaves to the rolling and cutting of the
finished products, which can be purchased
on-site. At any moment there are
as many as 10 million cigars curing in
the enormous storeroom.

The cigar factory and the resort both
opened in the early 1970s, and there’s
long been an intertwining of the two
pursuits. That two of the world’s best in
their respective specialties should be
next-door neighbours is very fitting.